Eid al-Adha is approaching, and based on previous years, it will most likely begin around May 27.

Ports, customs, and commodity inspection authorities in the Middle East, North Africa, and the India-Pakistan region will generally slow down their operations—some will even close for the holiday—so customs clearance will naturally take longer.

Logistics are already challenging enough, and now we’re also dealing with detours around the Red Sea, port congestion, and a shortage of empty containers.

Customs clearance in Jeddah and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, has virtually ground to a halt; processing in the UAE is slow; there are long queues for ACID approvals in Egypt; and land transport in Kuwait is also experiencing delays.

There is a high likelihood that shipments will be delayed by an additional ten to fifteen days.

What’s even more concerning is that once containers get stuck at the port, demurrage and storage fees can skyrocket at any moment. Furthermore, with empty containers unable to return, there may be a shortage of containers for shipments from Asia.

A reminder to those in international trade or cross-border logistics:

For shipments to these regions, it’s best to prepare key customs clearance documents in advance and confirm whether the destination port offers any storage or demurrage waivers. For sailings from late May to early June, try not to schedule them too tightly.

Holidays are fixed, but supply chains rely on people to manage them. Preparing a little earlier can save you a lot of trouble down the line.